This slow-cooked chicken stew is a popular dish in the Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), where the less-than-tender poultry benefits from the long cooking time. It is sometimes prepared by wrapping the ingredients in banana leaf packets and grilling them on hot coals, as is done with Liboké de Poisson or Liboké de Viande. More often the cooking method is to place the ingredients in a tightly sealed jar-shaped clay cooking pot called a canari or canary which is also placed on hot coals. The canari is gently turned or shaken periodically as the Kedjenou cooks, to keep it from sticking. Kedjenou can be adapted to an oven cooking pot, a large pot, like a dutch oven, on the stovetop, a slow cooker like a Crock-Pot®, or even a pressure-cooker. Whatever the cooking method it is important that the cooking vessel be closed with a tight-fitting cover so that moisture and steam do not escape. In Cote d’Ivoire, Kedjenou is usually served with attiéké (a starchy side dish made from cassava flour which is like something between Couscous and Fufu or Banku & Kenkey). It is also served with Rice.
Kedjenou Recipe
slow-cooked chicken stew is a popular dish in the Ivory Coast.
1eggplant (also known as aubergine), or preferably a few small ones; peeled, cut into pieces, and salted
several okra, cleaned and chopped
1onion (or more), chopped
1chile pepper, cleaned and chopped
3tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1tbspfresh ginger root, cleaned and chopped
1bay leaf
1sprig of thyme
2garlic cloves, minced
1cup of water or chicken broth or chicken stock
1tbsppeanut oil, or other cooking oil, for frying
Instructions
1
Combine all ingredients in a large cooking pot. Stir until everything is well mixed. Seal the pot with a tight-fitting lid. One way to ensure a tight seal (as is sometimes done in Indian cooking) is to first tightly cover the pot completely with aluminum foil, then put the lid over it.
2
Cook in a medium-hot oven, or over low heat on the stovetop, or on the embers of a wood fire. Do not remove the lid after you have started cooking. Whatever cooking method is used, it is important to gently turn or shake the cooking vessel every five to ten minutes during cooking. Cook for ninety minutes or more, check for doneness, and cook more if needed. (If you use a crock-pot, cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and skip the turning or shaking.)
Ingredients
2lbschicken, cut into serving-sized pieces
1eggplant (also known as aubergine), or preferably a few small ones; peeled, cut into pieces, and salted
several okra, cleaned and chopped
1onion (or more), chopped
1chile pepper, cleaned and chopped
3tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1tbspfresh ginger root, cleaned and chopped
1bay leaf
1sprig of thyme
2garlic cloves, minced
1cup of water or chicken broth or chicken stock
1tbsppeanut oil, or other cooking oil, for frying
Directions
1
Combine all ingredients in a large cooking pot. Stir until everything is well mixed. Seal the pot with a tight-fitting lid. One way to ensure a tight seal (as is sometimes done in Indian cooking) is to first tightly cover the pot completely with aluminum foil, then put the lid over it.
2
Cook in a medium-hot oven, or over low heat on the stovetop, or on the embers of a wood fire. Do not remove the lid after you have started cooking. Whatever cooking method is used, it is important to gently turn or shake the cooking vessel every five to ten minutes during cooking. Cook for ninety minutes or more, check for doneness, and cook more if needed. (If you use a crock-pot, cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and skip the turning or shaking.)
Northern Africa’s tagine, a round terra cotta cooking pot with a cone-shaped top, is rather similar to the Canari. And a Chicken and Vegetable Tagine (like Tagine of Chicken, Preserved Lemon, & Olives) — the word refers both to the cooking pot as well as a stew cooked in it — might be rather like Kedjenou; though in North Africa Lamb Tajine is more popular. One difference is the tagine’s top has a sort of chimney to allow some steam to escape. The canari is sealed to retain as much moisture as possible.
The canari cooking method is similar to the tanjia or tangia of Morocco, in which the earthenware cooking pot is placed on the coals used to heat a hammam (a public steam bath).
African Proverb
Li oju awodi ki ako adire re apatta. (Yoruba) : No one would expose fowls on the top of a rock in the sight of a hawk. N.B. — A warning to the imprudent.
(from: Wit and Wisdom from West Africa, Richard Francis Burton)